1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method and arrangement for regulating the driving and braking of vehicles equipped with a plurality of single wheel drive and brake unit modules which act on the guiding function of the wheels.
2. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
In the past, driving and braking systems have been accommodated either centrally in an individual vehicle from where they acted on sets of wheels by way of associated drive and brake units, or--particularly in connection with railroads--these systems were arranged exclusively in special driving vehicles, such as locomotives or driving units. The configuration and the range of use of the vehicles was thus substantially dependent on the driving and braking arrangement employed.
Vehicles equipped with single wheel drives are known per se. In these vehicles, elimination of the axles normally connecting the wheels permits the vehicle chassis to be lowered to a minimum clearance and opens up new possibilities for configuring passenger regions in the vehicle.
The use of single wheel drives with integrated brake units is disclosed, for example, in "Nahverkehrspraxis" (translation: "Commuter Traffic in Practice") No. 5, 1991, pages 171-173. Because of the compact configuration, further possibilities for improvement in the vehicle configuration can be realized. Such single wheel drive and brake units are also called EAB modules, the EAB standing for the German Einzelrad-Antriebs- und Bremseinheiten. They exhibit the characteristic that the driving and braking functions interfere with, indirectly or directly, the guiding function of the wheel. This guiding function requires matched behavior of the individual single wheel drive and brake unit modules.
In addition, with respect to power, the systems known today are coupled mechanically and/or electrically. Thus, it is possible that some negative influence on the guiding behavior of the wheel may be encountered in the known systems.